


Killing My Love

by bakedpotatocat



Series: The Outsiders [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Eurobeat, F/F, Illegal Activities, Street Racing, Trans Female Character, be gay do crime, car crash, drag queen eridan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-04 11:57:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18604072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakedpotatocat/pseuds/bakedpotatocat
Summary: Aradia, a delinquent car thief, is up for her first real street race after her best friend's brother crashes and gets injured. There's only one hiccup; her opponent, one Roxy Lalonde, is too hot for her own good, and from the rich part of town to boot. Will they find love amidst these tough streets?(The answer is yes, I'm not a monster, it just might get strung out a little. Name inspired by the Leslie Parrish song.)





	1. Crashing into Her Heart

Sollux and Aradia stood in the Zahhak’s repair shop, looking at the beat-up Mustang Mituna usually drove. God, it looked almost broken, covered in dents and scratched paint, bumpers scraped from jumping curbs. “You’re sure this thing drives alright? It looks like shit.” Sollux looked disapprovingly at Equius, and then turned to face Aradia. “You don’t have to race tonight, AA. We should call it off. Especially since it looks like Mituna’s crashed this piece of garbage one too many times.”

                “Sollux, chill! I wanna race and I’m sure this thing runs fine. That’s what matters more than the aesthetic! Can I have the keys, Equius?” He shrugged and tossed her the keys, wiping his oil-stained hands with the towel tucked into his jeans. Aradia sat in the driver’s seat, turning the ignition, listening to the engine purr as it revved to life. God, the feeling of this thing was intoxicating, too much horsepower for its own good. She was one of the better drivers (after all, she and Sollux boosted cars for a living) but this car… this was a racing car. She hadn’t felt this good in a long time. She climbed out to kiss Equius on the cheek as Sollux rolled his eyes. “It’s perfect! The two of us are gonna do great tonight, thanks to you.”

                The mechanic blushed and stammered as the two delinquents drove away. “Jesus, AA, you don’t have to lead him on like that, its stupid and he’s gonna get ideas when we all know you’re extremely fucking gay.”

                Aradia laughed, grinning joyously. “Come on, Sollux, its just so he gives us a better deal! Besides, at first glance most people would assume we’re dating. And you know,” she paused, needling her best friend, drawing out the exasperated huff she expected, “if I had to pick a guy, it’d probably be you. Frankly, I don’t know how you keep it in your pants, living with a hot babe like me.”

                “You wouldn’t be my type even if I had one. Besides, the only reason I live with you is because you’d be absolutely lost without me. It’s a pity thing, really, nothing else.”

                “Whatever, you big sap.”

*  *  *

                “So apparently the guy from uptown, the one Mituna was gonna race, is pretty good. Drives a Miata is what Latula said. That cars got much better cornering than his beat-up Mustang, but you’ll catch them in the straights. Let them get ahead of you in the corners, if you take it too fast you’ll wipe out and end up with a concussion like Mituna did. Are you even listening to me, AA?”

                Aradia stared at herself in the mirror, trying to make sure the bomber jacket that had their racing patch emblazoned on it was hugging her right. She had to look good for her street racing debut, obviously. And she wasn’t gonna lose to that rich kid from uptown. Sollux and her had been hotwiring and boosting cars for years now, there was no chance some bougie fuck that had never ran from the cops was a better street racer than her. “Huh? Yeah. Don’t go too fast, but don’t go too slow either. Same old whatever. Come on, we gotta get going. I’m not gonna be late to my race.”

*   *   *

                Aradia swallowed deeply. No one had told her that her opponent was a chick, and even worse, a hot one at that. Easily 6 feet tall, pale legs that seemed to reach into the sky, left almost completely bare by short shorts. A thin white crop top that barely hid her pearlescent skin. Bubblegum pink lips that matched the racing stripes on her car, and blonde hair, dyed that same pink at the ends, that framed her strong jaw perfectly. God, she was gorgeous, and Aradia felt underdressed in her scruffy tank top, fingerless gloves, bomber jacket, and jeans. She wished she had worn makeup to the race, or at least more than her normal red lipstick. She tried to banish both the imposter syndrome and beautiful stranger from her mind; she had a race to win.

                Thankfully, it seemed that Latula, Mituna’s long-time girlfriend, had made an appearance to clear her mind. “Hey, Rad-A.” She smiled at the dumb nickname. “Pre-race jitters, huh? Well don’t worry, you’re gonna do great. Besides, Mituna’s over at the sidelines, we’re all rooting for you.” She pointed at Sollux’s grinning brother, head wrapped in bandages and sitting down. “And for good luck, Mituna said to let you borrow this.” She handed over an ancient 8-track cassette tape. “Start it when I raise the flag. It’ll help.” She started walking towards the start line, sauntering with everything she had. “Racers, take your positions!”

                Aradia quickly slid into the driver’s seat. Alright, time to play for keeps. She waved politely and almost died when the blonde did so back. The midnight-black Miata (aside from those damned bubblegum stripes) started with a gentle hum, whereas Aradia’s borrowed and beat-up Mustang roared to life. She yelled over the two engines. “I’m gonna eat you alive, rich kid!”

                “We’ll see, won’t we.”, the leggy blonde smirked back.

                The two racers and their cars purred anxiously for the start of the race. Latula raised the checkered flag, and Aradia stole one more glance at her beautiful opponent, starting the mix Mituna had. The flag dropped, hung for a crystalline second in midair while the music started softly and engines sat still, and then everything exploded into action as it touched the ground; intakes flaring as the beat kicked in.

*  *  *

                Aradia slammed the gear one higher, blood pumping in time to the bass from Mituna’s Eurobeat mix. God, she loved the power of this thing, engine roaring and air whistling outside the open window, big and brash. She hadn’t gotten a good look at her opponent since the start of the race, a glimpse of perfect rosegold hair in her side mirror, bright pink lipstick and a too-short crop top. Alright, Aradia, keep your eyes on the road and focus, no reason to get distracted now. That’s why Mituna wiped out so much. She could feel the entire car humming, both of them joyous to be pushed to their limits. Another turn up ahead. Wide right-angle drift. She downshifted, hit the brake, and swung her wheel and body to the right, leaning into the curve, dreaming of leaning into the curves of that hot girls’ body. God damn it, she lost too much speed. Focus! Her head was swimming, she’d have to make it up here. Upshift, lead foot on the gas, her opponent was only half a car length ahead, spotless painted bodywork compared to her beat-up frame, just like the two of them… god, she was dying to scratch up that flawless skin... Aradia shook her head and tried to focus on the feeling of thumping bass, adrenaline rushing, the entire car shaking as it approached its top speed. The race was almost over, she could fantasize about her later.

Sollux looked on anxiously as the two street racers sped towards the final hairpin turn. As long as Aradia kept her cool and the right speed here, she could beat that east side chick in the Miata in the final straight. Just don’t get cocky, _please_. Don’t be fancy and you’ll win without wiping out. Hell, who even cares about winning, just don’t get hurt. Fuck, she was going too fast, too desperate to stay in line with the much more mobile Miata. Sollux ran down from where he was watching and yelled at his brother to call Feferi, he fucking knew this shit would happen, he just _knew_ Aradia would go too fast and wipe out. Too goddamn predictable.

Aradia was gonna crash. She could feel it, as time seemed to slow when she entered the turn on the outside, too fast for her own good. The car swung around the hairpin, drifting sideways at too high a speed, inside tires losing grip as its weight shifted just a bit too far off center. Aradia felt her world turn sideways. The car would survive, but she didn’t know how much pain she would be in later. As the world flipped upside down, she glanced over at that devilishly pretty girl that made her heart and her car race a little too fast, their eyes locked in a split second that felt like eternity. Her opponent’s mouth was open and horrified. Maybe she had never seen a crash before. She felt a small smirk cross her face – it was unlikely the blonde, her hair whipping in slow motion in the wind, would forget this moment. She knew she wouldn’t.

                The next thing she knew, she was suspended upside down in her seat, blood pouring into her hair and eyes from a broken nose, arm twisted the wrong way and hanging limply. She could hear Sollux anxiously screaming at her from a distance and stopped worrying – she’d be fine, help was coming. To her surprise, the first person that appeared in what was left of the broken windshield was her opponent, blond curls casting a shadow on her face when lit from behind in a streetlamp halo. Aradia smiled to herself right before she passed out from shock. This was one way to make a first impression.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy's POV. Eridan's a genderqueer drag queen that's living their best life now that they have an place to both explore their gender shit and be overdramatic.

She could see her in that stopped moment, seemingly suspended in midair like an angel. Uneven teeth and a button nose, bad skin and hooded, baggy eyes, fluffy, unkempt dark hair topped off by cracked maroon lips. She was stunning in all the wrong ways, a walking train wreck you couldn't look away from, a beautiful disaster. She hung frozen in space moments before what could have been the end and smiled at her, lit in a streetlamp’s glow that shined like a reborn sun, hovering in an unending fraction of a second, a fairy goddess trapping her in that shared instant. Who did that? Who else … could do that?

The person next to her stood up. God, she was supposed to be paying attention in this class, and yet all she could do was daydream about that mysterious stranger. She hoped she was alright. Roxy gathered her books. Thank god she was done with college for the day, there was no hope in focusing after the events of a week ago. Roxy made her way home to the small house she shared with Rose and her girlfriend Kanaya, still thinking about that fluffy hair she had only ever seen upside down.

*  *  *

She stared at a similar sight to only a minute ago. The Mustang driver she barely knew hung upside down, suspended against the pull of gravity not by a glance but by her seat belt. She was bleeding, blood already caking into her hairline, but it was still a sight to behold. Roxy saw eyes flutter and her heart skipped a beat. Thank god she was ok. Her words, a mystery even to herself, caught in her throat.

An unfamiliar voice broke the stillness. The same kid she had seen earlier, wearing blue and red sunglasses, ran up and past her. “Aradia, you dumb fucking bitch, I told you not to do this shit, I knew you would get hurt, too damn confident for your own fucking good.” It faded into the background, everything else barely noticeable compared to the girl, rather, to _Aradia_ , a name that seemed to fit perfectly, in front of her. If she could be this beautiful, even after a car wreck…

A hand gripped her shoulder. “Yo, Rolal, we need to dip. Cops are gonna be here in just a couple minutes. Besides, you won. Congrats.”

Roxy looked towards her cousin, finally snapping back to reality. “Yeah, yeah. Ok.”

“Is something wrong? I saw the crash, you didn’t cause it. She just got cocky.”

For some reason, that made her pulse spike. Why did she care so much about this delinquent from the other side of the tracks? Racing was a hobby, something to do on the weekends because she needed an outlet and never felt in control except behind the wheel. Dirk encouraged it, any excuse to get elbow-deep in an engine. She didn’t want to believe he cared this little about a crash, but it was like him. Better with machines than people by far. Cars didn’t have feelings (not unless you were superstitious). They climbed in her black-with-pink-stripes Miata and took their time going home, riding in silence.

*  *  *

Roxy let herself in and went up to the kitchen to grab a small snack. Her older sister was sitting at their dining room table, writing, and she could hear Kanaya’s sewing machine whirring away in the other room. It was nice and domestic, quiet and peaceful, much better than living with their mom, but she never felt like she quite fit in. Not that she was intruding, Kanaya especially made clear she loved the extra company, but the two of them were whole together. She wasn’t meant to be part of that equation, not permanently. It was fine, she tried to tell herself. She was only living with them until she could get an apartment of her own anyway.

“I’m going out tonight,” she announced to no one in particular, “Eridan’s taking me out for dinner.”

“Is that so?” Kanaya called from the other room. “Send them my regards, and tell them if they need another outfit to perform in I’m more than happy to oblige. They’re one of the only people I know that dares to take fashion seriously. Although their taste can be out there, on occasion. I’m glad you manage to rein them in.”

“Yes, Roxy does a fantastic job of that, doesn’t she,” Rose chimed in, “it seems to me she’s got that boy on a short leash.” She looked up from her work, smirking. Roxy rolled her eyes. “Might as well tie them up out back, why don’t you? You’re such close friends, I don’t know why you aren’t dating already.”

Kanaya had used the distraction to sneak up and hug Roxy from behind, wrapping her tightly in her arms. “Oh, when will our little Roxy find the person of her dreams? It seems she never will, such a sad tale, one the sailors will sing of for decades…” She trailed off as Roxy, feigning a deeper exasperation than she actually felt, pushed her way out of the embrace. Dumb broads and their snarky horseshit, always making a big deal out of stuff for the sake of a silly joke. Heh.

“God, you two, you know I already have a mom, right? The same one Rose does. I don’t need TWO MORE getting all up in my business all the time!” Roxy summoned every bit of exasperated kid sister she had and gave her best “Ughhhhhhhhhhhh”, rolling her eyes as dramatically as possible. Everyone managed to commit to the bit for about 10 more seconds before they all broke out laughing.

“What’s the occasion, anyways, Roxy? I know Eridan usually works Fridays.”

“Well, yknow, the semester’s well underway, and it’s the anniversary of my first month presenting full-time, cause of starting school back. So Eridan’s taking me out, he says it’s a big deal worth celebrating.” Roxy sheepishly looked away from them. Rose and Kanaya were great, supportive, but they didn’t quite get it. They couldn’t. Only another trans person could.

“I’m glad to hear it, sis.” Rose was obviously trying to decrease the tension in the room. “Kan and I could use a night to ourselves, anyway.” Kanaya seemed to light up at the idea, moving to whisper something seductive into her girlfriend’s ear.

“You’re both gross. Well, enjoy the empty nest, lovebirds, cause I’m out of here.”

*  *  *

Eridan had started the dinner ‘date’ by regaling Roxy with stories of high drama amidst the other drag performers at the gay club where they worked. The most melodramatic tale had involved a stolen feather boa that ended up being used as an attempted strangulation device. They had reassured Roxy that no one there was actually in danger of being killed, it was all a part of the performative culture that made drag so inscrutable to outsiders. Apparently the two involved had gone out for drinks afterwards. “So, Rox-a-lot, darling, any news for me? A new paramour in the works, maybe? I’m dying to hear about the sweltering hero that’s obviously swept you off your feet.”

“How the hell could you tell?”

“Darling, you’ve been staring into space for half the conversation. Usually you eat up my stories of theatrically overdone attempted murder. And since you look peaceful in your daydreams instead of stressed, it must be something good. Now, I’m prepared to forgive you for ignoring one of my thrilling tales of debauchery, buuuuuuutttttt…” Eridan leaned in, smiling. “You have to tell me all about them. Name? Looks? Interests? Career? I know every queer person in this town, or I know somebody that does. Who in the world is it?”

“Her, I’m pretty sure, and I think her name is Aradia. I met her street racing. Well, I saw her, and she saw me, and then she crashed and she stared at me hanging upside down in midair and she’s all I can think about for a week. She’s gorgeous, in a way where she doesn’t even have to try, where she looks stunning even after a car crash. Honestly, I’m jealous.” Roxy looked down at her napkin, folding it nervously. “I don’t even know if she likes girls, much less if she’s down with trans women. It’s a mess and I should probably just give up on it, I mean, even if that all worked out, I watched her crash a car. I don’t think that’s even in the top hundred of first date ideas.”

“Well.” Eridan put one manicured finger under Roxy’s chin, lifting her head to match their eyes. “Do you want to see her again?”

“Is that an option? I don’t even know her last name.”

“I know I exaggerate a lot, Roxy, but I was not when I said I either knew or could find anyone in this town. Let me look into it a bit. What color lipstick did she wear? It’s a matter of destiny.”

Roxy thought once more about those soft lips and her heart skipped a beat, running faster than it ever did while she raced. “Maroon”, she said, and then suddenly stood up to hug their genderqueer friend tightly, tears brimming at the edge of her eyes and threatening to ruin the makeup she relied on to feel like herself. “And thank you. For everything.”

“Of course, darling.”

 

 


End file.
